Fight for the Underworld
by triquetraperson
Summary: Cole asks the sisters help to help him rid the Underworld of a Source who is killing off every demon there is. The sisters don't want to help him but what if Cole offers them a reward that they can't resist? Please read and review! rating might go up
1. Prologue

**Ok, well I've had this idea in my head for a long time and I just wanted to get it out. Don't worry, I'm not abandoning any of my other stories. So please read and tell me what you think of it, thanks! This story starts right after the episode where Phoebe's boyfriend, Miles, dies.**

**Disclaimer- I do not own Charmed or any of its characters. They are all owned by Aaron Spelling.

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Cole Turner sat on the couch in his penthouse apartment. He was holding the picture of him and Phoebe where she was looking up at him with love shining through her eyes. Those days were long gone. He knew that whatever love Phoebe had for him, was gone as well. Even if there still was a little, she hid it very well.

He thought back to the events that had happened this past week. A demon from the future had come to him saying that Phoebe was going to be killed if she kept trying to save her boyfriend. The demon had also said that Cole would regain power of the Underworld very soon. How soon that was, the demon did not tell him. The only thing he could do was wait and see how things turned out. Fortunately for him, it was sooner than he expected.

Cole was getting ready to go to sleep when suddenly, about ten demons shimmered right in front of him. They were all about the same height as him and had blue markings all over their faces. Their skin seemed a bit burnt and they were wearing suits much to Cole's amusement.

"Can I help you?" he asked gruffly.

"Our pardons, Belthazar, for disturbing you," said one demon kneeling in front of him. Then he motioned with his other hand for everyone else to kneel. "I am Ashtar, leader of the Armorous demons. We require your help with something, if you are willing to give it."

"Depends on what it is," said Cole, still staring at Ashtar.

"You remember the demon Cragnis, do you not?"

"Impossible to forget," muttered Cole. He rubbed his head and said, "Continue."

"He's taken over the Underworld and Is killing any demon who shows an ounce of hatred or ill will towards him."

Cole raised an eyebrow and replied, "That always happens. It can never be prevented."

"Yes," said another demon, "but Cragnis is killing most of these demons for no apparent reason."

"And what exactly do you want me to do about that? If you haven't noticed, I'm not on Cragnis's good side. Hell, I'm not very popular down there at all."

"No, but you are," piped in another demon. "They say that if it weren't for the Charmed One, you would have been a great ruler."

Cole walked up to the demon, who had said that and said in a dangerously low voice, "If you have anything to say about Phoebe, keep it to yourself." His blue eyes flashed causing the demon to flinch slightly.

"Pardon me, my liege," said the demon, kneeling before Cole. He stood up then said, "If I had said something like that to Cragnis, I would be burning in purgatory right now."

"My point exactly," said the Ashtar who had first spoken to Cole. "Everyone in the Underworld far prefers you to Cragnis, which is why I have been chosen to ask you to come down and help us kill him and his followers."

"Can this wait till tomorrow?" asked Cole waving his hand at the demons. "I work far better when I'm not tired." The sarcasm was literally dripping from his mouth.

"As you wish, my liege." The demon then waved his hand at the other nine demons and they shimmered out. He took one last look at Cole who was staring into the middle of nowhere and said, "You will know where to find me, Belthazar." Then the demon shimmered away, leaving Cole to think about what had just happened.

* * *

Cole woke up the next morning just barely remembering what had happened the night before. He was supposed to help the rest of the Underworld get rid of the new Source, Cragnis, who was apparently a tyrant. Not that Cole cared that much about the Underworld anymore, he just thought that maybe now would be a good chance to redeem himself for what he had done as the Source. Namely, having a Charmed One as his wife. Oh, what a sin that was...

He slowly dragged himself out of his bed, brushed his teeth, took a shower, and went into the kitchen in his apartment. There, he grabbed a cup of coffee and finally shimmered into the Underworld.

He arrived in a dimly lit cave, moments later. The cave was filled with hundreds of demons all shouting at each other and threatening to kill each other. Cole surveyed the place then cleared his throat. He said, very cheerfully, much everyone's chagrin, "Good morning!"

The whole cave suddenly became quiet and the leader of the Armorous demons who had approached him yesterday, Ashtar, walked towards Cole. "Welcome Belthazar. I trust that you have rested well since yesterday." This comment brought out jumbled laughter from the other demons.

Cole smiled grimly and replied, "Actually yes, I feel much better today."

"Good," said Ashtar. "Would you like to hear the news of what Cragnis has done today or listen to the complaints of various demonic leaders?"

Cole snorted to himself and sat down on a rock that was near him. "Let's hear what Cragnis is up to."

A demon, who looked to be about 15 years old, slowly walked up to where Cole was sitting and stared at him with terror in his eyes.

A few moments passed with an uncomfortable silence. Cole broke it by asking, "Well?"

Ashtar came forward and said, "My apologies, Belthazar; Nicholas just completed his training and having heard much about your power is...in awe of you."

Cole raised an eyebrow and looked expectantly at the boy.

"Come on, boy, tell Belthazar the news that you have gotten about Cragnis," said Ashtar.

Nicholas took a deep breath then slowly began to talk. "This morning I woke up to find that my parents were dead. My sister was lying on the ground bleeding to death and since I don't have the power to heal, she died. I went outside and found a mob of demons crowded around a messenger, who had been sent by Cragnis. I soon heard what had happened. This morning Cragnis put forth a decree saying that all demons who pledged their loyalty to you were to be killed."

"He was always the jealous type," said Cole quietly, a small smirk on his face. Cole was cut off by the whispers of other demons who apparently hadn't heard the news.

Cole just rolled his eyes at them and turned back to Nicholas. "What else?"

Nicholas looked at Cole with terror in his eyes. He quickly kneeled before Cole then said, "May I continue?"

"I just asked you to," Cole answered, clearly amused with the respect he had been getting from the demons.

"He said after that, that all children just out of training school or in the training school are to be brought to him to be tested for loyalty. Those who fail the test are killed on the spot regardless of their age."

At this, Cole stood up from his seat. Nicholas was chalk white by then. "Thank you, Nicholas," Cole said. "You may go now."

Nicholas squeaked in reply and ran back to where he was standing before.

"Alright, those of you who have anything to say, step forward now," said Cole.

A demon with tattoos all over his face, stepped forward. He bowed to Cole and said, "Belthazar, I am the leader of the Solaris demons. We do not pledge loyalty to others very easily. As a result, Cragnis wants all of our kind dead. As it is, we are very few in number. We need help to keep us alive and you are the only one powerful enough to help us."

Cole nodded then gestured for the next demon to step forward.

The next demon was a member of the Brotherhood like Cole had once been. "Brother," said the demon, nodding to Cole, "if you remember, when Cragnis first joined the Brotherhood, he was very eager to learn about our philosophies and everything that we did. Naturally no one suspected a thing, and he was able to learn far more than any one member of the Brotherhood had ever known, apart from your old mentor Raynor."

"I am not here to be reminded of my past, brother, so please get on with your story."

"My apologies. Anyways, with all the knowledge Cragnis has gained, he was able to…take over the Brotherhood. Now it is impossible to tell who is a spy for him and who is on our side. Even one mistake, you're dead."

"Thank you brother," said Cole. After listening to many more complaints from the other demonic leaders, Cole stood up once again. He said, "I see now why all of you view Cragnis as a threat. He has created a very unsafe world for us to live in...not that it was safe before, it's just worse now." There was a murmur of approval. "I am not against the fact that he's eliminating those whom he feels is threat to him, but I will give you this. For the race of demons to survive, we cannot have the Underworld supremely dominated by demons, who are all completely loyal to Cragnis. The number of demons will lessne by every generation until there are no more of us left. Once that happens, the good side prevails." There was a roar of disapproval that echoed throughout the cave as Cole said this.

Cole turned to an elderly demon named Centris. "You said that you have spies in Cragnis's layer?"

"Yes, my liege," said the elderly demon, bowing to Cole. "They have reported to me that apart from having the most powerful demons in the Underworld, excluding you, Cragnis has been doing some research that will allow him to…" the demon came closer to Cole and whispered, "resurrect the Triad. He is also in the process of creating a seemingly unstoppable army of creatures from the Underworlds of other countries. My spies have no clue as to what the purpose of this army is, though."

Cole sat silently in his chair, aware that there were thousands of eyes upon him. After a few minutes, he came to a conclusion as to what should be done. He stood up and said, "I would like the demonic leaders who voiced their complaints to stay. Everyone else, leave and once I have anymore news as to what we should do, I'll summon you all here," said Cole in a commanding voice. As everyone began to leave, he said, "Centris, I would like you to stay as well."

After the crowd of demons had left, only Cole and eleven other demons were left.

"Why are we required to stay, Belthazar?" asked the leader of the group of demonic bounty hunters.

"I hate saying this," said Cole, "but if what Centris is saying is true, then we need more help from magical beings outside the Underworld."

"Does that mean that you're willing to help us?" asked another demon.

"Naturally, I have to. At the moment, I probably am Cragnis's biggest threat."

"What do you suggest we do?" asked Ashtar.

"We need some sort of power greater than ours, a power that has a clear difference from demonic powers. This power I am talking about is far greater than anything Cragnis could ever have."

"But Belthazar," cut in another demon, "the Charmed Ones will never help us. They hate all of us! More demons have been killed because of them in the last six years than in the last 100 years."

"My point exactly, it shows how much power they have and how much they are capable of," replied Cole.

"Wait a minutes," said the leader of the bounty hunters. "I'm betting that there's a catch to this. What's in it for you?"

"Well if you don't know already, I am not in the witches' good books so; I want some reward for helping you do this. Naturally, they'll want something as well for helping to vanquish Cragnis."

"We were already planning on giving you something great but what would the Charmed Ones want?" asked Ashtar curious as to what they would want.

"Let's just say that I know exactly what they want and it'll be something that the sisters will not be able to resist or refuse," said Cole laughing.

The other demons in the cave shuddered at his laugh.

"You know what? Maybe I'll talk to them right now," said Cole. "I'll call for you once I get an answer from them." The other demons bowed to Cole then shimmered out, leaving him to think about what he had gotten himself into.


	2. Lunch, anyone?

**Disclaimer- I do not own Charmed or any of its characters. They are all owned by Aaron Spelling.

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It was about 10:00 in the morning in San Francisco and Piper Halliwell was cooking. She loved cooking. Cooking was a hobby that she had always had. She used to work at a restaurant called Quake but then she quit because her boss was an arrogant pig. Now she owned a very successful nightclub called P3 named after herself and her sisters. All of their names began with the letter P.

Piper was making some sort of lasagna when her younger sister Phoebe walked into the kitchen looking very sleepy. "Morning Phoebe," said Piper. "How are you feeling?"

"Should you even be asking me that? My boyfriend just died, how am I supposed to be feeling?" Phoebe ran a hand through her hair and mumbled, "I could have saved him..."

Piper didn't answer her but said, "You up for eating breakfast or do you want to wait till lunch?"

"I think I'll wait till lunch."

"Ok then. Where's Paige?"

"I think she's still sleeping," said Phoebe slumping into a chair at the small table in the kitchen.

"No, I'm not," said Paige as she walked into the kitchen with a small suitcase in her hand.

"And where do you think you're going, missy?" asked Piper.

"For a road trip with Matt. Don't you guys remember? I've been telling you all week."

"Oh, right, sorry," said Piper. "When are you coming back?"

"In a week."

"A week! What if we need the Power of Three?" asked Phoebe, staring off into space.

"You guys can always call me. I'll orb right back if you need anything." Paige hugged Piper then quickly hugged Phoebe. "Cheer up, Phoebe. Miles died because it was his time. He did good things in his life."

Phoebe let out a sigh, gave Paige a hug and went back to staring into the middle of nowhere.

There was a small honk from outside and Paige ran to the door with her suitcase. Piper followed her and after she made sure that Paige was safely in the car, she waved and closed the door. She quickly walked back to the kitchen and sat at the small table next to Phoebe. "So, what do you want to do today?"

"Stay at home, I guess. I don't really feel like doing anything."

"Yeah," agreed Piper. "Even if we stay at home, demons will somehow find us and we'll have to vanquish them and our day will be complete." Piper laughed harshly and shook her head.

"Very true, Piper," replied Phoebe sullenly. "You know what? I think I'll have my shower now."

"You do that, Phoebe," said Piper. After Phoebe left the kitchen, Piper went into the family room to watch some TV.

Around 11:30, Phoebe finally came down looking very relaxed.

"Took you long enough," muttered Piper.

"What?" asked Phoebe. "How long did I take?"

"A whoppin' one and a half hours."

Phoebe raised an eyebrow and said, "I didn't think that was even possible."

"Now you know that it is. Come on, let's go eat."

Piper and Phoebe went into the kitchen and began to set the small table that was in there.

"Is Leo coming?" asked Phoebe, getting out some forks.

"No, the Elders gave him a new charge so he's with her." Piper leaned towards Phoebe and whispered, "He wasn't supposed to tell me this but, she's a witch with the power of invisibility."

Phoebe snorted and said, "We could use that power some time." After picking up a plate from the counter, she was about to turn around to go to the table when suddenly Cole shimmered behind the counter. Piper saw Phoebe about to drop the plate so she froze it right before it hit the floor. "Phoebe, what-." Piper glanced at the man behind the counter, picked up the plate and said in a cold voice, "What are you doing here?"

"What? Can't I stop by the house of my favorite witches to talk?" asked Cole leaning on the counter and giving his trademark smile. He noticed that Phoebe was glaring at him so he said, "Nice to see you too, Phoebe." There was period of silence.

"What do want, Cole?" asked Phoebe. "Come to try to get me back now that my boyfriend's dead?"

"I…"

"Because it's not going to work. If you think that you can come here and offer me your sympathy as a plan to get me to like you again that is sure as hell not going to work."

"Look Phoebe, I'm not here for that….today. You know that I'll never stop trying."

"I wish you would," muttered Phoebe.

"Phoebe, you can bicker with Cole later." She turned to Cole and said, "Why are you here?"

"I need help with something."

"What makes you think that we'll help you?" asked Phoebe.

"Just hear me out, ok?" said Cole. He looked around and said, "Paige isn't here, is she?"

"No," said Piper with a hint of annoyance in her voice.

"Maybe we should call her," said Phoebe very loudly.

Cole ignored Phoebe who was glaring at him again and said, "I'm not leaving until you two hear what I have to say."

Phoebe looked at Piper with a look on her face that said Tell him no, Piper. Piper rolled her eyes then said, "Ok, fine Cole. We'll hear you out then you have to leave. If you try anything," snarled Piper, "there will be hell to pay." Phoebe rolled her eyes and plopped into a chair at the table.

Cole smiled at Piper. Piper had always been the only sister who was nice to him even when he was in their bad books. He sat down at the table across from Phoebe and said to Piper, "Any chance that I could get some of that lasagna too?"


	3. We Want Answers

**Disclaimer- I do not own Charmed or any of its characters. They are all owned by Aaron Spelling.

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After Cole, Piper, and Phoebe had finished eating, Cole stretched his arms and said, "Man that was some good cooking."

Phoebe rolled her eyes then said "Ow!" She glared at Piper and said, "What was that for?"

"He just complimented my cooking, which is something no one else does anymore."

"Well, at least I'm not trying to suck up to you," replied Phoebe.

"I'm not…" stated Cole.

"So what? Complimenting my cooking is a sure fire way to get into my good books," said Piper.

"Humph," replied Phoebe.

"Um, if you two are finished can we get back to why I came here?"

Phoebe rolled her eyes while Piper said, "Sure…Phoebe, do I need to call Grams down here to teach you how to behave in front of ex-husbands? Because she has plenty of experience in that field."

"What?" asked Cole confused.

"Grams was married four times," replied Phoebe in a bored voice.

"Oh, I see…anyways, here's what I have to ask you two. I'm not telling Paige, because frankly, I know that she won't listen so it's up to you two to tell her."

"Ok, keep going," said Piper.

"Well, yesterday evening, I was in my apartment when about ten demons shimmered in asking for my help. They said that a demon name Cragnis has become the new Source of the underworld."

"Why are you telling us about the new Source? Come to warn us about how powerful he is?" asked Phoebe, narrowing her eyes at him.

"That and also, we, meaning all the demons that don't support him, don't want him as the Source. We want him dead and gone."

Piper and Phoebe burst into fits of giggles. Cole frowned at them. Phoebe managed to calm down enough to say, "And why do you want him… dead and gone? Aren't you all in love with him? he gives you the permission to kill and spread evil. That's what you all do best, isn't it?" Phoebe smirked at Cole, who frowned at her.

"This isn't funny, Phoebe," said Cole raising his voice. "Cragnis is a bastard and he…"

"Cole, all the Sources were bastards," said Piper causing herself and Phoebe to start laughing again.

"That means I was one too?"

Phoebe and Piper stopped laughing. "No, you were not." said Phoebe quietly. "As much as we hated you, I don't think I ever thought of you like that. Paige probably did, but you were just someone who betrayed us real badly."

Cole was silent for a while and said, "I see. Well, getting back to why I came here…"

"You're not done?" asked Phoebe rolling her eyes again.

"Phoebe!" exclaimed Piper. She hit Phoebe playfully on the arm and said, "Stop acting like you're back in high school! This is serious."

"What do you mean I'm acting like how I was in high school?"

"You're acting like you're better than everyone here and that nothing is worth your attention unless you have something to say about it."

"That's how you were in high school?" asked Cole, a smile playing on his lips.

"I was not!" said Phoebe to Piper and Cole. Piper raised an eyebrow at the comment and Phoebe said, "Fine, maybe I was like that but I had my reasons…"

"What were they?" asked Piper.

"Well firstly…hey! I'm not telling you."

Cole banged his fist down on the table, causing Phoebe and Piper to jump. "Would you both shut up already?"

"Yes sir," replied Phoebe sarcastically. She mock saluted Cole and turned away. Piper merely shook her head and turned to look at Cole.

"As I was saying before, all the demons who have contacted me want Cragnis dead. I've heard of what he's done and I want him dead too. The only problem is that apart from him being the Source, most of the high level demons are on his side."

"Then why don't you get the ones that aren't on his side?" asked Piper.

"That's the problem. He killed all the ones not loyal to him so I'm the only other demon left with enough power to actually face him."

Cole looked at the two witches in front of him. It seemed like a whole hour before either of them spoke.

"What do you expect us to do about that, Cole?" asked Phoebe.

Cole shifted nervously in his chair and said, "Well, I was wondering…I've talked it over with the other demonic leaders and they've all agreed…could you help us kill Cragnis?"

"What?" yelled Phoebe. "You want us to help you? Why the hell would we do that?"

"Because…"

"No! I am not even going to listen to you. The last time we helped you, you turned on us. What makes you think that we'll even consider helping you now?" Phoebe got up from the table and said, "My part in this conversation is over." She stomped away from the table.

Cole sighed and got up from the table. He was about to leave but saw Piper staring at him. "What were you going to say after Phoebe asked you why we would want to help you?"

"Does it really matter anymore? You guys gave me an answer. My business here is finished."

"So you think that the decisions we make as Charmed Ones is dependent on what Phoebe says?" Piper was still staring at him. "What were you going to say?"

Cole sat down again and said, "Well, I was going to say that with Cragnis gone the other demons will be very glad."

"Your point?" asked Piper not seeing how a demon being glad was good.

"As the leader of this rebellion, I'll be getting a reward if I help the other demons get rid of Cragnis. A big reward. I'm pretty sure I already know what it is."

Piper's eyes widened. "You mean you'll be the next Source?"

"Possibly," replied Cole, rubbing his forehead. "And if you three help us, there will be a reward for each of you no matter what."

"And what would this reward be?"

"That is a surprise."

"Then what's our incentive for helping you?" asked Piper smirking at Cole.

Cole sighed. "I've known you and Phoebe for a very long time. I know you two well enough to know exactly what you both want the most in the world. I'll have to figure out something for Paige, but in the end, if the reward isn't great enough then you can ask for something more. I seriously doubt that you would ask for anything more, though."

"We get that big of a reward, huh?" asked Piper. She looked Cole straight in the eye and said, "I've never been a person who takes bribes but...I know that you're not lying and in all honesty, given time, I might agree to help you. This is just something that I have to talk over with Paige, Phoebe, and Leo first. I don't want to risk my life for creatures who want us dead." Piper paused slightly then asked, "What exactly is so bad about Cragnis anyways?"

Cole smiled a sigh of relief. If Piper was willing to help him even a little, then there was hope for the other two yet. "As I said before, he's in the process of killing every demon not loyal to him. That includes all the demons who pledged their loyalty to me. The demons he has on his side right now are the ones who helped him become the Source. Also, he's going through demonic villages and killing demons leaving their children homeless."

Piper gasped. "Homeless?"

"Yeah and that's not even the worst part of it." Piper's eyes widened. Children being left as orphans were something that Piper hated. It didn't matter that they were demonic children either. Everyone deserved a home whether they were good or bad. "In the Underworld, most children are sent to a demonic training school once they're about 8 years old. Cragnis is going through training school after training school with these loyalty tests. I'm guessing that something scans the child for loyalty and if it comes back negative then the child is killed no matter what age they are."

Piper gasped. "That- that's horrible." She quickly looked around to see if Phoebe was anywhere near where they were sitting. Then she leaned forward and said in a low voice. "Tell your demons that I will help. I don't care if Phoebe and Paige won't help but I will help. I don't care if those children are demons, but they shouldn't be killed like that."

"Thanks, Piper," said Cole.

"Don't mention it," she replied with a tight smile. "You should leave before Phoebe comes back down. I'll talk to her and Paige and see what I can do. Don't expect an answer from me for a while. Paige won't be back for a week."

"Ok, that's fine," said Cole getting up from the table. "By the way, great food." Piper beamed at him and he shimmered out.


	4. Recruit Me!

**Disclaimer- I do not own Charmed or any of its characters. They are all owned by Aaron Spelling but I do own those characters which you don't recognize.

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Phoebe sat in her room staring at the ceiling. Just when things were going ok, Cole just had to appear. Why did life have to be so complicated? It bugged the hell out of Phoebe and there was nothing she could do about it. She was relieved that at least Cole hadn't said anything about wanting her back but he had also been looking at her like he used to when they first met. That was a wonderful period of time in Phoebe's life and she wished with all her heart that things could have stayed that way. Unfortunately, things changed.

Phoebe sighed to herself. Part of her wanted to go and help all the demons in the Underworld because helping them get rid of the Source would be good for everyone. Then again she was afraid, afraid that if she helped the demons her feelings for Cole would return. If those came back then who knew what could happen.

A small knock on the door took Phoebe out of her reverie. "Come in!"

Piper slowly came in and said, "Hey…"

"Hi…is Cole gone?"

Piper nodded and said, "Yeah, he's gone." She stood in silence for a moment before saying, "You know you could at least give him a chance and listen to what he has to say."

Phoebe snorted and said, "I'm guessing that that's exactly what you did."

"It is," replied Piper softly, "and I personally don't care that you or Paige have something against him. I hate what's going on in the Underworld right now."

Phoebe sat up with a smirk on her face and said, "Ok then, all knowing Piper, tell me, what exactly is going on down there?"

"Phoebe this isn't a joke. The Source is killing all demons that aren't loyal to him."

"Big deal…demons are back stabbing asses."

"Phoebe, don't let your grudge against Cole hinder you better judgment. As I was saying, he's leaving demonic children homeless and killing off the ones who aren't loyal to him."

Phoebe's eyes widened. "He's killing…children?" Piper nodded and sat down next to Phoebe. "That's horrible, Piper."

"I know…I said the same thing."

Phoebe looked at Piper and said, "So, what are we going to do?"

Piper looked up at Phoebe with a small look of guilt on her face and said, "Well I kind of already told him that I would help him no matter what so now it's just you and Paige."

"Did you have to agree?" groaned Phoebe. "Now I have out of obligation."

"Come on Phoebe, don't look at it like that, besides, if we help them kill the Source, Cole said that they're probably going to make him the Source and with him as the Source, he'll be able to give us a reward."

Phoebe laughed. "Cole will be the Source again? Great! Now I really want to help him." She looked at Piper and said, "What's the reward?"

"He wouldn't tell me."

Phoebe leaned back onto her bed and said, "Life is wonderful today."

* * *

Cole shimmered into his penthouse apartment in good spirits. What he was not prepared for at the moment was company.

As soon as he turned on the lights to his apartment, he was greeted with the sight of about thirty or forty children.

Cole's eyes widened in astonishment as he said slowly, "Uh…what's going on here?"

A teenager who looked to be about 17 stepped out of the crowd of children. He was a little shorter than Cole, had jet black hair, light brown eyes, and had a fang earring in one ear. He bowed down to Cole and said, "Belthazar, please forgive us. We had no where else to go."

"You're forgiven.," replied Cole, warily sitting down. "You can get up."

Damien's head snapped up at Cole's act of kindness as he said, "Kindness among demons is rare. Those who have it are destined for greatness."

Cole let a small smile show as he said, "Well, what are you all doing here?" He glanced at all the children noticing that many of them were hurt and looked very hungry.

Damien bowed again and said, "A few men from Cragnis's army were talking. I heard them say something about your house being surrounded by some kind of magical ward that prevented them from entering." Damien stood up straighter and gestured to the others behind him, "They had come to kill me and the rest of these demons."

Cole frowned and said, "If I had wards around my house how did you get in here?"

Damien frowned and said, "Honestly, I have no idea."

Cole nodded and said, "I'll look into that." He looked around at all the children and said to Damien, "I'm guessing that you're all very tired and hungry?"

He was answered by a series of, "Yes! Of course! Are you stupid?"

Cole smiled and said, "Why don't you all get some rest and I'll see what food I can get." Cole looked at the children who were still standing where they were. "Or…you can do whatever you want." A loud cry of joy erupted from many of the children as they began racing about the penthouse. "Just try and keep it down here!" he yelled. "The mortals here get very annoyed by loud noises." Immediately, the shouts quieted down to whispers.

Damien came and stood next to Cole. "I've never seen them act so obedient before."

Cole shrugged and said, "This is good then."

He turned and began walking out of the apartment when Damien said, "Where are you going, Belthazar?"

"Out to get some food. I only have enough food for two people."

"May I…come with you?" asked Damien with awe. "I've never seen the above world before."

Cole frowned for a second and said, "I suppose you could…do you have anyone who can watch over them while you're gone?"

Damien nodded vigorously and called, "Taryn!" Seconds later, a tall girl who looked exactly like Damien except with blue eyes appeared in front of him. She looked to be about 15. "Taryn, can you watch over everyone?"

Her eyes flashed green for a moment and she said, "Why not? Where are you going?"

"With Belthazar to get food."

Her eyes flashed again as she replied, "Fun…so many people to kill…hurry back."

"We're not killing anyone," said Cole. "It'll draw too much suspicion to us." Taryn shrugged and went back to the other children. Cole turned to Damien and sad, "A few things before we leave. You will be my…nephew if anyone asks and you will call me Uncle."

"Uncle?" asked Damien with a raised eyebrow. "Funny name."

Cole smiled and said, "Cole Turner is what I go by up here." Cole grabbed his car keys from where he had put them in the morning and said, "Let's go."

Damien excitedly followed Cole out of the apartment.


	5. Sleep, You Need It

**Ok, well it's been a while since I've updated and I don't know if anyone's still reading this but that's ok. I fully intend to finish this story. Anyways, sit back, relax, and happy reading... **

**Disclaimer- I do not own Charmed or any of its characters. They are all owned by Aaron Spelling but I do own those characters that you don't recognize.

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The days after all the children had appeared in his penthouse had been rather exhausting for Cole. He was only a man. He had no idea how to deal with children, especially demonic children. It would have been different if it was only one child that he had to deal with but there were 34 children in his apartment ranging from 3 years olds to Damien, who was 17 years old.

It was about 10:00 at night and most of the children were asleep. Cole had made sure that they went to sleep early for the people in the apartment below had already complained of hearing stomping in the night. He collapsed onto his couch with a sigh and massaged his temple. He turned his head to look at Taryn, who for some reason felt that it was her duty to protect him just in case anyone attacked him. She and Damien would alternate each night, leaving them exhausted the next morning.

"Taryn." The girl snapped her head up and looked at him wit ha piercing stare. "Go to sleep." She shook her head. "You need the rest."

Taryn got up from where she was sitting and walked over to him. "I said I would keep watch and that's exactly what I'm doing."

"And I'm telling you that you need rest," assured Cole gently. He got up and said, "If you are tired in the morning, what will happen if we are attacked?"

Taryn glared at him and reluctantly lay down on the couch. After a few minutes, Cole could hear her soft breathing, telling him that she was indeed asleep.

He looked around at the rest of the children. They were asleep everywhere. Some were on the table, some were on the ground, and some were even on the ceiling.

He mumbled something to himself and looked around wondering where he could sleep. He found a chair that was unoccupied and began walking towards it when he heard a small knock on his door. He frowned and walked over to it. Slowly opening it, he was very shocked when he saw a scowling Phoebe standing behind it with her hands on her hips.

"Still alive, are you?"

Cole rolled his eyes and asked, "What do want right now?"

Phoebe wrapped her arms around herself and said, "Piper's been kind of worried so she asked me to check on you."

"Are you sure that you weren't feeling worried?"

"Dream on, Cole." She looked around and said, "Can I come inside? It's freezing out here."

Cole was about to say no but Phoebe pushed the door open. The moment she saw the children, she froze. "Wh-what is going on here?"

"Keep your voice down, will you?" He gestured for her to come inside before closing the door. He closed the door and said, "About five days ago, just after I came to the manor, these children appeared. They were about to be murdered, Phoebe. They had no where else to go."

Phoebe's eyes widened as she took in the sleeping demons. "How many are there?"

"Thirty four." Cole scratched his neck and yawned, causing Phoebe to look at him with a look that bordered concern.

"And you've been watching over them this whole time?" Cole nodded.

Phoebe looked around and said, "At least Piper won't be worrying about you anymore." She bit her lip and said, "You could have always asked us to look over them for you..."

"I don't think they would trust you to enough to let you look after them," mumbled Cole, stifling a yawn.

Phoebe shrugged and looked down. After a few minutes she said, "Why don't you go to sleep? I'll stay here till the morning and watch them for now."

"No...Go home. Piper will be worried."

"She knows that you won't let anything happen to me, Cole." They both stared at each other for a few seconds before Cole collapsed into the chair that he was originally going to sleep on. Phoebe rolled her eyes and sat down on the ground, leaning against the wall.

Pulling out her phone, she dialed the manor's number, waiting for Piper to pick up. "Hello?"

"Hey Piper," whispered Phoebe.

"Oh, it's you. I was getting kind of worried. Where are you?"

"I'm at Cole's..." Phoebe looked around and said, "He has a small problem here so I'm staying the night."

"...Are you sure?"

"Yeah...but do you think you could come in the morning at around seven?"

"Why?"

"Just come, please?"

"Alright, I'll come. Stay safe."

Phoebe rolled her eyes. "Good night, Piper."

"Night Phoebe."

Phoebe turned her phone of and stuffed it into her bag. She sighed and shook her head. There was no way that she would be able to refuse to help Cole. She had proof of what was going on down there. Even in the dark, she could see that some of the children looked rather unhealthy and slightly hurt. It wasn't a pleasant sight. Hugging her knees to her chest, she kept her eyes open, watching over them.

Cole woke up at six thirty in the morning to the smell of scrambled eggs. He opened his eyes blearily only to see Phoebe cooking while trying not to wake the children who were asleep on the counter by the stove.

He staggered over to her and said, "What are you doing?"

"Trying to cook something..."

Cole nodded and said, "Do you want me to move them?" He gestured to the children. Phoebe nodded and he gently carried them and placed them on the ground. He turned back to Phoebe and frowned as he saw faint circles under her eyes. "Did you sleep at all?"

"No."

Cole looked at her uncertainly and said, "Do you want to sleep now?"

Phoebe glared at him and said, "I'm cooking. I can't sleep and cook at the same time."

"Suit yourself." He looked around and smirked. "I would stop cooking though."

"Why?" Phoebe looked up at him questioningly.

"They'll be waking up soon."

"That's a problem?"

"You don't know full demonic children. They have the worst manners in the world." Cole smiled sweetly at Phoebe who gave him a disgusted look. "They'll rip you apart if you don't give them what they want."

"They won't rip me apart," replied Phoebe. "Piper's coming."

"When?" Cole frowned.

Phoebe glanced at her watch and said, "Oh...in about ten minutes." She smiled to herself and looked down at the scrambled eggs. She scraped them off of the pan and after putting them in another bowl that was filled to the top with scrambled eggs, proceeded to crack two more eggs. A yawn caused her to look up from what she was doing. A boy with extremely black haired got up from the ground and bowed down to Cole who pulled him up. The boy gave Cole a cocky grin then set his gaze on Phoebe. Noticing that she was not doing anything to Cole, he relaxed slightly and asked, "Who is she, Uncle?" Damien had refused to call Cole anything but Uncle for some odd reason. He seemed to have taken a rather odd liking to the name. Cole didn't mind and called him nephew sometimes."

"This is Phoebe," replied Cole. "Phoebe, Damien. Damien is the leader of these children."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," replied Damien, with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. He frowned slightly and asked, "Are you a demon?" Phoebe snorted causing Cole to smile. "What's so funny?" asked Damien with a frown.

"She's a witch, Damien," replied Cole, his eyes twinkling slightly.

"You have a witch, in your house?" hissed Damien.

"You have a nephew?" asked Phoebe with mock surprise.

Damien growled at her and held his hand out causing an energy ball to form in it. He has about to throw it when he found that his hand and the energy ball were frozen in the air. He turned his head only to see another woman, who looked like the witch in front of him, walk in front of him.

"You are a very naughty boy," said Piper shaking her finger at him. He growled at her. Piper turned to Phoebe and said, "Eggs much?"

Phoebe rolled her eyes and said, "Hey, it's the easiest thing to make apart from toast."

Piper smiled and looked at Cole. "I think you have more than a small situation here. You could have asked us for help."

Cole crossed his arms and said, "What would you have done?"

"We have more room at the manor. You could have stayed there for a while."

"That's exactly what I said," mumbled Phoebe, putting the just finished eggs into the bowl. By this time, the whole penthouse smelled like eggs and many of the children had started to wake up. A few of the caught sight of Damien in his frozen position and began poking him earning scowls from him.

"They're so cute," said Piper with a smile.

"They're deadly as well," said Cole softly.

Piper rolled her eyes and turned back to Damien. "No more energy balls, are we clear?"

Damien growled in reply and was immediately released. He rubbed his wrist and looked at the bowl of eggs. "Is that for her?"

"It's for all of you," replied Phoebe, pushing it towards him."

Damien looked at it disdainfully before stalking off towards a small girl with pale blond hair. He touched her shoulder and she sat up, wide awake. She sniffed the air and looked at Damien. He pointed to the bowl of eggs and she nodded.

Piper and Phoebe watched with fascination while Cole watched with an expression resembling pride. Damien walked back to them and said, "She said that it's safe to eat but it's slightly burnt.

Phoebe was about to reply but a red colored energy ball flew right by her head, causing her to duck to the floor. Cole rushed to the other side of the counter to help her up. Once he pulled her back up, he glared at the demon who had shot the energy ball.

"Taryn, what did you do that for?" he hissed. Cole's blue eyes were met by defiant blue eyes that stared with hatred at Phoebe.

"I said I would watch over you and that's what I'm doing."

He turned to Phoebe and asked, "Are you alright?"

"Fine," she muttered, pushing him off her.

Taryn glared at Phoebe and raised a hand ready to throw another energy ball at Phoebe but was unable to as Piper froze her whole body except for her head.

"Release her!" demanded Damien, taking a step towards the girl.

"Tell her to back off," seethed Piper. "We've done nothing to her."

Damien raised an eyebrow and asked, "Really?"

Piper raised her hand and said, "Do you want me to blow you up, because I have no problem with it."

Right there, Damien realized who Piper was. His eyes widened considerably as he took another step backwards. He muttered something into Taryn's ear. Taryn's jaw dropped as she looked at Cole, Phoebe, and Piper. Damien nodded fearfully at Piper who unfroze Taryn. The teens dropped to the floor in an elegant bow.

Taryn glanced up at Piper and said, "Forgive me, master, we had no idea that she was a...Charmed One." Damien nudged her in the ribs and went a deeper bow directed towards Phoebe, said, "My lady..."

Cole frowned at the two and said, "You don't need to bow."

Phoebe shook her head and gestured to the bowl. "Eat."

Damien took a last fearful glance at Piper, who smirked at him, and quickly grabbing the bowl, went off to a corner of the penthouse, the other children behind him.

"You have a wonderful nephew, Cole," said Phoebe resting her face in her hands. She was not smiling.

Cole ran a hand through his untidy hair and said, "Look, I'm sorry about the two of them. Their parents were killed by witches and they are very protective of anyone close to them."

"We understand," said Piper, looking at the children with pity. "They seem like they haven't had a decent meal in years."

Cole nodded and yawned. "I should probably take a shower or something." He shook his head and said, "I have a meeting with the council down there…" He trailed off and looked at the witches.

Phoebe rolled her eyes and said with a huff, "Count me in, I guess." She shook her head and glared at Piper who smiled. "We just need Paige now. She won't be back until day after tomorrow."

Cole nodded and looked at the children who were now fighting over their food. "We'll look after them," said Piper.

"We can look after ourselves," intoned Damien who had managed to get out of the mob of fighting children.

"That may be," said Phoebe, staring at the boy, "but this place smells."

"Whose fault is that?" asked Piper, earning a small grin from Damien.

Phoebe frowned at Piper and said, "We have three bathrooms in our manor and more than enough soap to go around. Besides, aren't you getting a little tired of staying in here?"

"I went to the grocery store with Uncle once," said Damien seriously.

Piper cracked up at this comment and turned to the boy. "The grocery store? Our house is grocery store." Damien's eyes widened. Piper saw this and said, "It isn't really but it is good enough to be one." She shook her head and let out a short laugh. "Listen, Damien, you are all coming to the manor and you will stay there till Cole comes back from his council meeting. Are we clear?" Damien nodded quickly. "I want to you to gather everyone up and make sure that this place is cleaned up by the time he comes out of the shower."

"Yes," whispered Damien bowing slightly to Piper.

She looked at him and laughed. Turning back to Phoebe, she said, "Are you alright Phoebs?"

"Tired," she groaned. "Elise is going to kill me."

"I'll tell her you caught the flu," replied Piper, pulling a potion out of her bag.

"What's that for?" asked Phoebe. "Are you going to vanquish one of these children?"

Piper flushed slightly and said, "No! This is to get back home. I didn't feel like driving here. HOw do you think I got here in the first place? I didn't ring the doorbell."

"Oh," replied Phoebe absentmindedly. "Then I'll see you in a little while."

Piper smiled at her sister before throwing the potion down. There was a flash and Piper was gone.


End file.
